Under The Mistletoe

[Luke Brown]

Luke returned the girl's grin, although he hardly had much choice; he felt as though a grin had been a permanent fixture on his face for the past five minutes and he was acutely aware that he must be starting to look a bit of an idiot by now, but there was very little that he could do to shift it other than leaving the room, and he definitely didn't want to do that just yet. "I would hope that I know you well enough by now not to give you anything fragile." he returned in a mock serious tone.

[Sina Aleardi]

Sina scoffed, "I'm not sure if I should be offended or intrigued!" She grinned at the boy, then flipped over the package to undo the tape, carefully pulling apart the paper to reveal fabric. She pulled it out and looked at the T-shirt, reading over the slogan and giggling, "Okay, you're forgiven." She hugged the boy sitting next to her, "Thank you!"

[Luke Brown]

"I'm hoping you go with intrigued." Luke returned with a grin, crossing his fingers surreptitiously. And God, was he hoping. He had rather enjoyed the last ten minutes, as would probably have been evident to any observer (of which there had hopefully been none), and he really didn't want to ruin it now. He sighed with relief as Sina giggled, and returned her hug willingly and with enthusiasm.

[Sina Aleardi]

Sina continued leaning against the boy as she looked over the shirt, working to control her laughter. The slogan was perfect, humorous without being crude, and it was definitely the type of thing she could see herself wearing. "You have a good taste in shirts. Maybe I'll have you pick all of them from now on."

[Luke Brown]

Sina's weight against him was... weird. But in a good way. It was definitely not something that he was used to, but he was equally certain that he would be quite happy to get used to it, given the opportunity. "Oh, I don't think I'm ready for that much responsibility." he murmured, only half joking, as he cautiously draped an arm around her shoulders.

[Sina Aleardi]

Sina chuckled, "Fine. I'll give you some more time to prepare for the role." She had to admit, she was enjoying Luke's arm across her shoulders, and she wasn't particularly interested in moving. "So. Any grand plans for the new year? What's your resolution?" Ugh. Probably shouldn't have asked that - but it was out in the open now.

[Luke Brown]

"Very generous of you." the boy responded drily, allowing himself to sink a little further into what he found to be a rather comfortable position. Yes, he could most definitely get used to this. Tongues might wag, but that didn't bother him. He could get used to that as well.
"Nope, no grand plans. And my resolution is... to be more outgoing." As he'd decided about five minutes ago. "And how about you?"

[Sina Aleardi]

Sina nodded at the boy's resolution, "That's a good one." At least it was pretty attainable, unlike some of the resolutions she'd heard. As he asked about hers, Sina chuckled, "That's a really good question, and I don't know yet." She should probably think about it, "I'll keep you posted if I think of something, though."

[Luke Brown]

"I thought so." the boy agreed with a grin. He was not generally in the habit of making resolutions, since he generally found that they lasted only a few weeks, if that, but this one seemed as if it might be sustainable, and there was no harm in it. "Well, I shall await your decision with great and growing anticipation." he assured his companion with a smile.

[Sina Aleardi]

Sina grinned, "As soon as I figure it out, you'll be the first to know." If she actually sorted one out, "But I may just wait until next year. Resolutions are too much effort." She frowned as her phone chirped, and sighed as she glanced at the clock, "I think that's my reminder, sorry. I should go." She didn't want to leave, but life called. She gave Luke a quick hug, then rose, picking up her shirt and the wrapping paper to toss away, "I'll see you later?"

[Luke Brown]

The boy nodded, meeting his... companion's... grin with one of his own. Today just kept on getting better and better, and he was ever so slightly worried that before very long this would turn out to have all been a dream, or one massive practical joke. Mentally, he had his fingers crossed. He returned Sina's hug with enthusiasm and gave Derecho a brief wave. "You better believe you will." he confirmed with a wink, somewhat surprised at himself.